The Drum 317 
come from the water, and resembled the escape 
of air from boiling liquid. It ceased at nine 
o'clock.” Nota few black boatmen who fish where 
the drum is found are terrified by the mysterious 
sounds. 
The large drums are fishes of striking appear- 
ance, and while not quick of motion, when they 
find themselves hooked, they make a remarkable 
fight and afford good sport. The greatest catches 
are made with hand-lines; and near Fernandina, 
in a party of a dozen men fishing, but two had 
rods, the others being armed with lines which 
would have held a man-eater shark, and I was 
told by my sable boatman that even these were 
sometimes broken by big “sheepshead.” But I 
found that a number fifteen line was large enough 
for any “sheepshead” up to seventy pounds, and 
the largest drum known can be taken with a light 
rod and a number twenty-one cuttyhunk line. So 
far as tackle is concerned, I should use for these 
fish the equipment employed for the yellowtail, 
that is, for large fishes, but the twenty-pound 
drum can be taken on a much lighter line. 
Crab and clam bait were used in the Chesapeake, 
fiddler crabs being a common lure at Fernandina. 
I used crab, a “fiddler” community affording 
